of mansfield



Aug. 28, 1928.

S. S. MATTHES TROLLEY FROG Filed Oct. 12, 192'! mmmwf MTIIIIIIII Inventor JAMZEL J. MZTHES M t r Patented Aug. 28, 1928.

A UNITED STATES SAMUEL PANY, or MANSFIELD, 01110, 'A' CORPORATION or NEW "JERSEY.

TROLLEY FROG.

'1 Application filed October 12, 1927. Serial 1%. 225,715. a

'My invention relates to a supporting'device for trolley wires and particularly that class of supports know'n'as trolley frogs or overhead switch, bymeans of which the trolley wire is not only supported, but the main and branch trolleywires are brou ht to and anchored'to the trolley frog, W ich acts as a switch in diverting. the movement: of the current The object of my invention is to provide a device in which the trolley wires are detachably secured to a supporting. element, and

interlockedwiththe supportingelement is aremovable trolley pan to which the trolley wires are detachably secured. This construction permits the trolley pan or switching portion of the frog to be. removed and replaced at any time without disturbing the connection between the trolley wires and the supporting. element. This makes the change from .a worn out pan to a newpan avery easy. and quick operatiom V My invention resides in the new and novel construction, combination and relation ofthe various parts herein: described and shown in the accompanying drawing."

" In the drawing;

prisesa pan 2 provided with proj eating-arms a 3' and'B to receive the maintrolley' w1re'4,

and-the obliquely disposed arm 5 to receive the branch wire 6. 4V i The arms are each provided with a-groove in. which'is seated the trolley wires 4and 6, as shown in the left-hand end of thearm '5- in Fig-'2. The endsof thearms'are provided with' spaced hook shaped lugs 7 Cooper at ingwith the spaced hook shaped lugs 7 1s" a1:

member 8, which'm'ay be termed a cam tip,

5 for the reason that at one end it'isprovided' with a cam shaped'element '9, which engages* withthe trolley wire to-for ce it into the bottom of the grooves when the cam tip is ro' tated, as later described. Everv camtip is provided with a groove formedl by-bendable lips 310 adapted to be clinched aroundthe trolley wire when the cam tip is in final pOSltion; The cam portion" 9 is providedwith projecting headed studs 11, which cooperate" with the hook shaped lugs 7 and pivot therein. The relation of the face ofthe memher 9 to the center of the projecting-studs ,11 is such that the face of the vcam 9- acts'as-a rotatable wedge to force the :trolley wire down into the groove. 7 v

The frog is also provided with "a removable supportingmember 12Qprovided with acrossbar l3-in whichare openings 14. Projecting PATENT OFFICE. v,

s. Mantras, or MANSFIELD," 0am,- ASSIGNOR TO THE omo muss core from the cross-bar 13 are eye members 15,.

which may project from the member 13in a direct horizontal line or out of ali-nementv with-the member 13, as shown in ig. 3. In

the latter case the arms are brought .down. to a point where they coincideapproximately with a horizontal plane, in which the trolley Wires 1 and 6 rest.

The support 12- is also provided with means for securing thereto the trolley wires Land. 6," which comprises a compression member 16 and the headed bolt 17. I Connected'to the eyes 15 are span'wires (not shown) by means of which thesupportmg member 12 is held in: suspension inde-' pendent of the trolleywires or any other sup-: port... This permits thetrol ley wires-4 and 6 to be securedin'position with relationlto the I p I e i v support12and held in; suspended positionby. Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my invention; 7 p

, the eye members 15. :In some cases the span 'Fig.'3 is'a sectional viewon the .line 3 3 the span wires, which may be connected to .7

wires'are entirelydone away with and the.

- member 12 held in suspension by the t ll .wlres alone. v r

Projecting from the pan memberQare iii-' ternally threaded studs 18 which register with the openingsle in tlie'suspension member. -When the suspension member and body member 1 are in relative positions, the two are interlocked against relative lateral or longitudinal movement, but not against transverse or vertical movement. It is sometimes found desirable to prevent transverse movement, as, Well ias'longitudinal and lat on I eralmovement, and this issecured by means of theheaded studs 19 which detachablyse curethe body. member and supporting'm'ember together against transversefmovement' andthelugs 18; prevent relative lateral and longitudinalmovement;' f I To install my improved frog upon the trolley'wir'es 4 and" 6, the support member 12 is first removed from the bodymember 2. The trolley wires are then positionedbetween the members 13 an'd 16 and'the stud 17 drawn up tight to grip the t-rolleywires in position "with respect to the support '12.' The cam tips 8 are then removed from the arms by merely:

nnhooking them from the hook shaped lugs 7 The pan is then broughtinto position with respect to the support 12, and, if desired, may be held in this position by means .Ill

my claims. 1

of the studs 19. One of the trolley wires is bent down by means of the hand or wrench or other tool, so that it is seated in the groove of its arm sufficiently to allow the "cam tips 8 to be re-positioned with respect to the hook shaped lugs 7 when the cam isin an upright position or angularly disposed to said upright position, as'by its being tipped sufficiently ackward from a vertical position to peri'nit its being interlocked with the lugs 7 The cam tip Shaving been re-positioned, the same is rotated about the axis of the studs .l'luntil it assumes the position shown in Fig. 2 with respect to the trolley wire.

Having positioned one of the'cam tips, the

same process is carried out with the other two cam tips. After the cam tips have been properly positioned, then the lipslO are bent or peened about the trolley wire 6, which locks the cam tip to the trolley wire against 'rotative movement about the axis of the project ing'studs positioned in the hook shaped members 7'.

V In order to remove thebody member'Q', it is necessary to spreadthe lips 10, which is easily done with athin edged cold chisel, and then to rotate the cam tips S'backwardly until they can be withdrawn from the hook shaped lugs 7. If the headed studs 19 are used, they will support the body member 2- after the cam tips Shave been removed, and ifthe studs 19 are employed then they are removed and the body member .Zcan be removed and the trolley wires will remain secured to the support member 12 without be ing disturbed. Z

To apply a new pan, the process described above is repeated, but it is not necessary, of

course, to apply a new support member 12,

or disturb its relation to the trolley wire.

The use ofthe studs 19 is not necessary,

asthe tension in-the trolley wires tends to 7 lclaimz V 1. A trolley-frog comprising a bodymemberhaving a plurality of channeledmembers each to receive a trolley wire, a support membe limited other than by 1 bers securedto the body member against rela h t1ve longitudinal and lateral movement, means on the support member to receive the trolley wires and hold them againstmovement relative to the support member and a rotatable wedge pivotally secured to each channeled member to engage and clamp the trolley wires in fixed relation to the channeled members but permitting the removal of the body and channeled members at will without disturbing the connection of the wires at the supportmember.

2. A trolleyfrog comprising a body member having a plurality of channeled members each to receive atrolley wire, a support men1'-.- ber secured to the body member against rela-- tive" longitudinal and lateral -movement,

means on the support memberto receive the Y trolley w res and hold them against move-L 5 mentrelative to the support member, a cam tip pivotally securedto each ehanneledmember and comprising a rotatable wedge to clamp the trolley wires in fixed relation to the channeled members and a'channeled member having bendable lips projecting from the rotatable wedge to receive the trolley wire,

and lock the ment. 1 .7

3. A trolley frog comprising a bodymemher to be attached toa trolley wire and having a channel thereinlto receive the wire, a support member removably secured to the body member againstlateral and longitudinal cam tip against pivotal movemovement relative to the body member,

means on the supporting member to secure the trolley wire thereto, above and spaced from the body member, a cam tip pivotally secured to the body member having a portion to engage the trolley wire and draw it into and hold it in engagement with thebottom of the 1 channel, the support member and the cam tip operating together to hold the body member and the trolley Wire in fixed relation but detachable at will and the cam tip having'achanneled po'rtionto receive and engage the trolley wire to lock it against rotation relative to the wire.

4. A trolley frog comprising a body memher, a support member, a channel in the'body member to receive a trolley Wire, holding means to detachably hold the trolley wire in the groove, means on the body member to mterlock with means on the support member to prevent relative lateral and longitudinal movement, gripping means-on the under-face of the support member toreceive and hold the trolley wire in fixed relation, the body member being removable whenthe holding means releases the trolley wire.

5.A trolley frog comprisinga support member, means to secure trolley wires thereto, means on the support to attach supporting span wires thereto, a'replaceable switching pan below said trolley wires and secured to the support member against lateral and 1011- gitudinal movement and means to detachably secure the trolley wires to the pan at points remote from the support.

6. A trolley frog comprising a body member, means to detachably secure a trolley Wire thereto, a supporting member, means to secure the trolley wire to the support and other means to detachably secure the support to the body member without disturbing the relation of the trolley wire to the support and prevent ber, means to detachably secure a trolley wire thereto, a supporting member, means to secure'the trolley wire to the supporting 'member, projecting means on one member entering recesses on the other member to prevent relative lateral and longitudinal movement of the members and means to detachably interlock the members against transvers movement. r

9. A trolley frog comprising a body member, means to detachably secure a trolley wire to opposite ends of the body member, a support member, means to secure the support to the body member intermediate its ends against relative lateral, and longitudinal movement, means to detachably secure, the trolley wire to the support member against relative movement and raise the trolley wire at said point of securing above the normal level of the trolley wire adjacent the ends of the body member to prevent displacement of the support and body members in a transverse direction.

' 10. A trolley frog comprising a body member and a support member, the support member provided with means to detachably secure a trolley wire thereto to support the wire, means on the body member to detachably secure the trolley wire thereto to sup port the body member and means to detachably secure'the support to the body member to support the body member thereby when the means supporting the body to the trolley wire is released.

1.1. A support for a trolley Wire and switch pan comprising a body having openings therein to receive'projections on the pan, means to detachably. receive and grip the trolley wire and means projecting from the body member to secure supporting span wires thereto. V r I 12. A support for a trolley wire and switch pan comprising a body having openings therein to receive projections on the pan, means to detachablyreceiveand grip the trolley wire and means projecting from the body member to secure supporting spanwires thereto at a point below the trolley wire where secured to the support.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature'. SAMUEL S. MATTHES. 

